SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – Both The Sault Star and SooNews.ca are reporting that the former Northern Breweries plant in Sault Ste. Marie has been sold to a new company, and may be reopened as a new brewery at some point in the future.

At one point a large co-operative of breweries located in five towns and cities in Northern Ontario, the company had shrunk to a single brewery in Sault Ste. Marie before shutting down in 2006. The property was seized by the city due to unpaid taxes, and this week, a sale of the building to a group of local businessmen was approved.

According to reports, the sale price was $511,000, with the proceeds being split between the municipal, provincial and federal governments as payment towards various liens on the property.

No details have been released about the identity of the new owners, and their plans or timelines for restoring operations at the plant.